Springfield courthouse project attracts 11 developers
SPRINGFIELD – A total of 11 developers have submitted proposals to build a new courthouse in the city, in a much-discussed $2 billion project that could be a game-changer for the downtown.
The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, which oversees state building projects, set a 2 p.m. Thursday deadline for developers to submit proposals for the next Springfield Regional Justice Center that will replace the troubled Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse.
Officials for the division have remained tight-lipped about the proposals and have not even communicated with city officials, but high-placed sources confirmed the number of bids received.
The names of developers and locations are not expected to be revealed until next week at the earliest after they are vetted for completeness.
"The timing of sharing the number of responsive proposals will depend in part on the volume of proposals received, so there is not a precise date available at this time," division officials said in response to inquiries about when information about the proposals will be made public.
For years workers' unions, lawyers and others have been complaining about the courthouse being a sick building. At least five employees, including two judges who shared the same office, died from the relatively-rare ALS and others have been diagnosed with fatal cancers and other illnesses. District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni and Registrar of Deeds Cheryl Coakley removed all employees from the building in 2021 and 2022, citing unhealthful conditions.
In January, the state agreed it would replace the building and the Asset Management Board voted to fast-track the project by having a private developer build the courthouse, estimated to cost $600 million, and then lease it back to the city in a pact that could last 60 years.
The state put out the request for proposals at the end of June calling for a building that would measure between 220,000 and 300,000 square feet and be located in an about 12-block area of the city's downtown.
City Solicitor Stephen Buoniconti said he aired concerns about the lack of transparency in the bidding process saying he feels state laws call for the locations and developers to be released upon the bid openings on Thursday.
Officials for the state have not returned inquiries from his office, Buoniconti said.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said his office also has received no information from the state about the bidding process but said he was at least encouraged that the state agreed with lawyers, residents and city politicians and called for the building to be located downtown.
"The big thing when this all began was I really stressed the need to keep the courthouse in Springfield," he said.
Sarno said he continues to believe in a mixed-use project proposed for vacant land along the Connecticut riverfront as early as three years ago would be a game-changer for the city.
Regional business mogul Peter A. Picknelly has floated the idea for a courthouse, 11-story apartment building, a small marina and other uses on 14.5 acres of land on the northern edge of downtown.
Some of the land Picknelly proposes to use is owned by The Republican's parent company.
A second proposal that have been made public is one by James "Jeb" Balise, owner of Balise Auto and Thomas Dennis, owner of the Dennis Group, that calls for the courthouse to be built in a city block surrounding Chestnut, Lyman, Taylor and Dwight streets.
The partners, who received approvals from the Historic Commission to raze four historic buildings they own, have also spent more than $8 million buying property in that area in recent months.
There have been rumors of multiple other local developers have been interested and large development firms from Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, have also submitted inquiries to the state about the bidding process, public records show.
State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, who represents the downtown area, said he was encouraged by the number of proposals submitted.
"I take it as a positive sign because there is a chance to look at opportunities throughout the city," Gonzalez said. "Let the best location be selected, the best for the residents and especially for the downtown."
Initially, residents and city officials had aired concerns that the process was sewn up by just one or two developers and others would be discouraged and not apply.
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